More and more renewable energy from biomass

Bundles of willow branches next to rapeseed in bloom
© Hollandse Hoogte / Branko de Lang
In 2020, the consumption of energy from biomass resources such as biogas, biopetrol, the green part of household waste or wood products rose by 10 percent year-on-year and reached a total of 119 PJ (petajoules). The increase is largely attributable to higher biomass consumption in coal-fired power stations. Biomass energy contributes 6 percent to total energy consumption in the Netherlands. This is evident from new analyses of energy consumption data, conducted by Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

At 54 percent, biomass is the largest source of renewable energy in the Netherlands, followed by wind (23 percent) and solar energy (14 percent). There are many different types of biomass, each used in its own way.

Liquid biofuels, i.e. biopetrol and biodiesel, take up the largest share of gross final consumption of biomass; in 2020, this share exceeded 20 percent (24 PJ). The share did drop by 14 percent on the previous year.
Biomass co-firing in coal-fired power stations rose by almost 150 percent last year, accounting for nearly 17 percent of all biomass consumption (20 PJ). Another significant contribution is made by municipal waste incineration plants; these are good for almost 17 PJ (14 percent). Biomass consumption has been on the rise since 2016 as a result of government subsidy schemes and international obligations and requirements.

Origin of woody biomass

In 2020, 39 percent of in total 3.9 million tonnes of woody biomass used in power generation was of domestic origin. This concerns the use at installations with a capacity exceeding 1 megawatt (MW) and does not include gaseous or liquid biofuels or other solid biomass sources. Over 25 percent of the woody biomass is from North America; 28 percent is imported from the Baltic states, Portugal, Spain and Russia. Our neighbouring countries Germany and Belgium account for a joint share of 7 percent. Virtually all woody biomass consumption comprises residual and waste flows.

Biomass mainly converted into heat

Over half of the biomass, approximately 63 PJ of in total 119 PJ, is used to produce heat. This is predominantly done in households (nearly 26 percent), where biomass is fired in wood-burning stoves in particular. Another significant contributor are biomass boilers in industry which are used exclusively for heat production (21 percent).

More biomass co-fired in electricity production

Biomass can be converted into electricity, heat and biofuels for transport. Electricity production from biomass rose by 51 percent in 2020, mainly due to biomass co-firing in coal-fired power plants. The share held by biomass in coal-fired power stations grew from 10 percent in 2019 (producing nearly 7 PJ of electricity) to 39 percent in 2020 (17 PJ of electricity). The use of biomass in waste incineration plants, biomass boilers in industry and biogas for electricity production has remained more or less the same.

Less use of biofuels for transport

The bulk of biomass consumption towards transport consists of biofuels (94 percent). The remainder is biogas, which has been upgraded as green gas. Consumption of biofuels for transport declined from slightly under 27 PJ in 2019 to over 23 PJ in 2020, despite a higher mandatory renewable energy target for transportation that was imposed on suppliers of motor fuels.

Sources

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